And here we go. My first AssClass crossover. Though I haven't listed this as such, as this is mainly just about AC characters. (I was wondering why haven't written any yet, I seem to be fond of crossovers.) As usual for me, this fic's mainly about Gakushuu's relationship with his father, though this time I've thrown in also my own version of Gakuhou's past & family.
This is a fusion with Neil Gaiman's Sandman (no need to know anything about it to read this). Sandman time note: I know it all starts in 1916 in the comics. I've moved everything hundred years to the future. I plead artistic license.
…I'm sort of amused that this fic's title is basically the same as that of my old Hikaru no Go/Sandman crossover (Dream Traveler…) just in Greek. Little has changed as years roll by, I've just become more… pretentious? xD
And, by the way, I just have to say this… a general warning to those who might be curious to check out Sandman: I love the Sandman comics and I really recommend them, but they're seriously only for mature audiences. Not for explicit sex scenes (though there's sex too) but for being at times extremely disturbing. In that sense, a crossover between AssClass which is basically a kids series and Sandman is a bit weird, maybe…
This fic will have two Sandman characters in it, just fyi. Fiddler's Green and the Corinthian. Yes, those of you who know, I am so sorry. I'm actually bringing the Corinthian into this… In the last chapter. I'll try to keep things in check though so that this stays K+ rated.
tw for later chapters: suicide, drowning, (at least the threat of) violence
Oneironautics:
the ability to travel within a dream while remaining conscious of the experience
chapter 1: slumber time
You would imagine the world is in enough trouble as it is, what with a yellow octopus blowing up the moon and threatening to do the same to the Earth, but no. There is another global calamity that strikes soon after the New Year, though it is stealthier, less remarkable, and it takes a while for scientists and doctors to draw connections between the cases. Suddenly, without any warning, people all around the world start having different kinds of sleep disorders: some never wake up, others cannot fall asleep, some have constant nightmares.
For Asano Gakuhou, that morning started in precisely the same way as any other in his life during the past decade or so. He woke up at 3 am, left for his morning jog in the somewhat chilly January weather, returned to read the newspapers of the world. At 6 am he was sitting at the breakfast table, waiting for his son to join him. Asano-kun appeared to have overslept, which was an unusual occurrence. The maid went to knock on his door, and soon rushed back down, a terrified look on her face.
Now, Gakuhou is standing by his son's hospital bed. The boy lies there completely still, sleeping peacefully. His lips are slightly parted, his chest moves gradually in the rhythm of his breathing. A monitor beeps quietly and evenly, indicating a regular heart rate. His vital functions are perfectly normal, and the doctors haven't so far been able to find anything wrong with him. He is simply just not waking up.
As his father stands by his bed, feeling more helpless than ever before in his life, Asano Gakushuu dreams.
...
Gakushuu is standing on the hilltop right outside the E class building, wondering why exactly he is there. Did he have something to say to the E class? Perhaps some challenge to throw in their way? He can't remember.
He enters the building and realizes there is no one there. Hasn't been for a while, or so it seems. Everything is covered in dust, the chairs and desks in the classroom are lying on the floor in complete disorder, there are papers scattered all over the place.
Gakushuu frowns. Don't the E class ever tidy their classroom?
He wanders to the teachers' room. No one there, either. At least the place is more orderly. He sits down by the desk. There is a pile of papers on it. He takes the one on the top and raises his eyebrows at the title. Multi-manipulating motivation mechanism and trans-structural trauma theory? Interesting. He is about to start reading when he notices that there was a roll book under the paper.
He picks it up and starts leafing it through. It is full of students' names, but they are written with such weird kanji he has no idea how to read them. What is this? This cannot be 3-E's book.
"Sensei!" A child's voice makes him start and he spins around to look at the door, guiltily hiding the book behind his back. A redheaded child stares back at him.
"You're late, sensei!" the child informs him, and runs off.
Late? "Late from what?" he calls and runs after the child into the corridor. He didn't see where the boy (was it a boy? he isn't sure) went, but he heard a door slam. He walks to the classroom door.
"Stand!" a voice exclaims when he enters.
Chairs clatter when a roomful of students stand up. Gakushuu freezes.
"Attention!" the voice continues, and everyone stares at him. He nearly backs out of the room again.
"Bow!"
They bow. Why was he expecting something else?
Silence follows. Gakushuu stares at the children who stare back at him. Then he realizes he still has the roll book in his hand. He should probably take the attendance, right?
He opens the book and realizes he still can't read the names.
The silence stretches. The clock on the wall ticks so loudly, seconds go by one after another, and he can't figure out a single name. Gakushuu feels a flush spreading on his cheeks as he stares at the strange writing, unable to read it at all.
"Sensei, don't you still know our names?" someone asks, and he looks up, acutely embarrassed. He finds the same redheaded child staring at him. There is something vaguely familiar about him (yes, it is a boy). That smirk. Gakushuu knows that smirk.
"Akabane Karma?" he says, incredulous, and the kid grins.
"Present!" he yells – together with the rest of the class.
Gakushuu shoots a disbelieving glance across the room.
No way in hell.
Or is this that? Did he die and go to hell?
The entire room is full of nothing but approximately 10-year-old Akabane Karmas.
"No," Gakushuu says aloud. "Just, no. I refuse."
All the Karmas pout at him. "Aren't you going to teach us?" they ask.
"This isn't real," Gakushuu says. His eyes are still scanning the room, desperate. There has to be someone else here, too. Has to.
And yes! There, the last seat in the end row! He knows that brunet boy, even though he too is too young, and feels suddenly so relieved.
"Sakakibara Ren," he says.
"Present," the boy answers.
"Thank god you're here," Gakushuu says. Then he frowns. "Wait. Why are you here? You don't belong to the E class!"
"Why are you here, teach?" the Karmas ask, laughing mockingly. "Why do you teach the E class?"
"I…" Gakushuu freezes. Why? Why is he here? This is a waste of his talents! Him, teaching the E class? Teaching the E class that consists of ten-year-old Akabane Karmas? There has to be a mistake—
"There is no mistake," a voice he knows all too well says.
Heart sinking, he turns to look and sees his father watching him coldly in the doorway. "You should know why you are here," the man says, and Gakushuu's heart sinks even further.
He does know.
"But father," he still has to try. "It was three points! Just three points!"
His father says nothing, just turns and walks away.
"Three points!" the Karmas laugh. Ren is quiet, watching him sadly from the backseat. "Three points, Second Place! You think you have anything to teach us?"
Gakushuu stands very still for a second. "Father!" he exclaims then and, dropping the roll book, runs out of the door after the man into the streets of Tokyo.
...
Asano Gakuhou stands together with Korosensei in front of 3-E in their classroom. Yes, it is a little awkward; last time he was in this room, he practically attempted to commit suicide in front of these kids. It is hard not to be self-conscious about this and he isn't happy to be here, but he is desperate enough to try anything. He gives the children a thoughtful look. If any of them are thinking of what happened, they are hiding it well. Possibly the strangeness of the current situation is enough to distract them. Also… Gakuhou can't help but notice that some of them look extremely sleepy. The blue-haired boy, for one, looks like he is about to fall asleep in his chair. Briefly he wonders if it's possible that this strange sleep disease is still spreading.
Two weeks have passed, but there is no change in Gakushuu's condition. No change in the condition of any other victim anywhere in the world. Running out of ideas, Gakuhou contacted Korosensei, figuring the former master assassin and the current invincible superbeing might be the person to go to. So far, the octopus has been useless. He doesn't know a single poison that could have caused this, nor does he remember a single similar case mentioned in all those textbooks he has supposedly memorized. But now, one of his students has an idea.
This idea, though…
"Pardon me," Gakuhou says, staring at the dark-haired girl who returns his stare without any expression. "But I don't quite understand. Exactly what help would shamanism be of here?"
"Dreams," the girl, Hazama Kirara, says slowly, "are simply a doorway. A shaman can use them to gain wisdom and understanding. Did you know that according to aborigines of Australia, the world was created in dreamtime? That dreamtime doesn't exist outside of us, but within. With something like this current situation, it makes sense to me to look for a solution in the dreams. If you learn to dream without losing your consciousness, you might find out things that are mysteries to those who remain in the waking world."
"Hmm." Gakuhou stares intently at the girl. It is complete nonsense, of course. "And how would I learn to do this?"
"Well, for example, there are different herbs that can be used to ease the entrance to dreamtime," Hazama says, and shows him the book on shamanism she's holding. Gakuhou stares at her some more.
"Let me see if I got this straight," he says then. "You would have me to eat some hallucinatory herbs with potentially dangerous side-effects just to have some lucid dreams that might or might not be helpful?"
"Yes," Hazama says.
"…what herbs do I need?"
...
Now Korosensei finally is of use. He speedreads all books on the subject they can locate and makes a comprehensive list of the various ways people around the world have used in order to fall into a trance. They do extensive research on those methods, and finally end up with one incense and one tea, which should work together to reinforce each other's influence without any danger.
"Oh, and this!" The image of Korosensei flickers, and soon he is back with an oval frame drum, quite old-looking, that has peculiar symbols drawn all over it. "A shaman's drum the Sámi use!" The octopus seems to be much too excited about this, speaking with childlike eagerness. "Drums are used pretty much everywhere, I'm sure this will be helpful!"
Gakuhou gives him a flat look. "You just want to play it, don't you?"
"Well… yes…" The octopus starts thumping it softly with one tentacle, shifting from tentacle foot to another in the rhythm. He is, of course, grinning as always, but right now that expression seems to be exactly the correct one.
Gakuhou sighs. "You do realize it's not a toy but a religious object? I guess you can play it for this occasion, but at least try to be respectful about it."
"Yes sir, of course sir!" the octopus exclaims and hurriedly lowers the drum.
"I'll do you a favor and won't ask where you stole it from," Gakuhou mutters, and the octopus's grin seems more frozen than ever.
"The tea is ready," Hazama informs them.
Gakuhou nods, takes the cup and empties it. The drink is a little bitter but otherwise not unpleasant. He stretches a little and settles then in his armchair to wait for the tea to take effect.
Fifteen minutes pass in silence. Then Hazama lights the incense and starts to fan it to his face. Gakuhou closes his eyes, leans back, and hears Korosensei start playing the drum. At first it annoys him and he almost tells the octopus to stop, but…
…there is something in that sound, soft but resonant, that tingles his mind. He feels his breathing seek the rhythm of the drum and lets it happen. Gradually, the booming grows louder in his ears, it echoes in his chest, fills his body, and he takes deeper breaths, suddenly finding himself gasping for air. And then he opens his eyes and is stunned by the sudden silence.
In his living room, Korosensei lowers the drum and Hazama places the incense on the table. Asano Gakuhou dreams.
...
Gakuhou is standing on the hilltop right outside the E class building, wondering why exactly he is there. Of all possible places to start this dream journey he had to end up here? And most likely, he concludes sadly, he has only his own brain to blame. This is, after all, his dream.
He looks at the building thoughtfully. He cannot think of a single reason why he would find anything concerning his son there. After all, Gakushuu has practically no connection to that building whatsoever.
He remembers that one single time he took Gakushuu there. The boy wasn't yet one year old. His wife had appointments that day, and their usual babysitter cancelled at the last moment.
The kids had adored Gakushuu. Who didn't? He was such a cute baby, giggling with delight at the kids' antics. Ikeda especially had…
Gakuhou pauses in his thoughts, turns away, and starts walking downhill.
He has walked a good while and is just thinking he didn't remember the way to be so long, when he sees the mountain top building appearing again in front of him. He glances behind, confused, and sees the road he just walked heading downward.
Goddamn dreams, he thinks to himself, turns around, heads again downhill. This is his dream. He should be able to control it, shouldn't he? He has to concentrate better, and surely he'll get off the mountain.
…he thinks, and finds himself walking across the yard toward the E class building.
Well, damn.
He stands there a moment staring at the building. Shrugs then and walks in.
There is no one there. He glances in passing in the empty classroom, checks the teacher's room, ransacks all the drawers and cupboards. Nothing. This is ridiculous. Why did his brain insist he has to come here? This place… has nothing for him anymore. Just failures and wasted dreams.
He leaves the room and heads to the front door, but as he passes the classroom, he notices a flash of green through the open door. Gakuhou stops and turns to look in.
A teenage girl is sitting in the classroom, in a front row seat. She is dressed in a simple light green summer dress. Her strawberry blond hair falls in waves down her shoulders as she sits there watching out of the window.
Gakuhou feels a shiver start in his spine. It goes through him, and he feels cold. So horribly cold. He wants to back out of the room, but his feet are nailed to the floor. He can't move. He can barely breath. Trying to be as quiet as he possibly can he hopes the girl won't notice him, but he has barely thought of this when she turns her head and looks at him.
She smiles. "Hello, big brother."
"Kyuko," Gakuhou says, his mouth suddenly dry.
Lot's of name notes:
I feel so incredibly slow, but I only recently realized that Gakushuu's name is really gakushuu which is the actual word for study. (I mean, I've actually studied Japanese…) Somehow I just never thought of it like that. It's written differently though, gakushuu as study would be 学習 (study + practice) but in Gakushuu's name the kanji for shuu is 秀, which means such things as supremacy, distinction, excellence. So his name's something like supreme study or whatever. (Poor kid.) Incidentally, Gakuhou's name has study + summit in it. (Poor kids, all of them.)
Kyuko's name has actually long u, and I technically should write it as Kyuuko to be consistent with how I write other names, but… Kyuko just looks better to me. It's written 究子, where the first kanji means study or research, and the latter is the usual feminine name ending that means child.